Some of you have asked about the history of the term ENGAGEDorg. In October 2009 I attended a conference called Engage Now in Calgary, Alberta Canada. The conference was really two conferences in one: a collaboration between Simplewealth, Inc., and the University of Calgary. Among the featured speakers were the Dali Lama, Edward DeKlerk, Richard Branson, Tony Hsieh of Zappos, and other successful businessmen and woman in businesses that are leveraging the new technologies. To be in the first row and hear all these extraordinary speakers was one of life’s treasured moments.
At a post conference mastermind group it was clear to me that I had to revitalize my consulting business. We prided ourselves on being authentic with clients and eclectic in our approach. Weaving together science based management principles with Gestalt methodology, and being informed by Rosemary’s far-reaching interests, the consultancy created a loyal client base with little or no marketing. But alas like everyone else we have been hit by the recession. The business has changed and it’s time to do things differently.

The term Enagaged Organization emerged and I quickly purchased the domain names. Weeks later while strolling on the beach in Amagansett with my friend Suzee Foster I realized engaged organization.com is a mouthful. She, being in public relations, came up with ENGAGEDorg, which I think you all would agree is catchy and more current.

Organization Engagement will become the new buzzword of the next decade. It has many layers. There is the individual engagement that managers, employees and owners have with the company. Are they aligned with the values, mission and vision of the entity? Is the entity itself engaged with the community within which it does business? We live in a global society so that now we have people living on the Gulf Coast with the BP oil spill outraged and panicked by the lack of progress to stop the spill and save the wetlands, fish and fauna. At the same time we have millions of pensioners in Great Britain and other part of Europe and the world who because of the drastic devaluation of BP stock have seen their pensions evaporate before their very eyes. Has BP acted like an ENGAGEDorg? I don’t think so. There are many questions to be asked and the disinformation has been startling. Corporations both large and small are the vehicles that create wealth for the planet; they directly impact the communities in which they operate and serve. Rather than focusing on avoiding litigation they need to play a more proactive role in being corporate citizens. Becoming an ENGAGEDorg is an essential first step.

Since we launched ENGAGEDorg.com and started to rebrand our consulting business, our dear friends at Simplewealth have also launched a new initiative the Engaged Entrepreneur. I invite you to visit their website at www.engagedentrepreneur.com to learn more about their services for small business. Follow owner, Greg Habstritt’s blog for thoughtful and at times challenging commentary.

ENGAGEDorg seems to be satisfying a need. Our newsletter launched just yesterday had a 50% open rate. People are craving the authentic, candid communication and service we provide. As a boutique consultancy we can provide the personalized authentic services people want.